Two new, short streets will be built — and a current one extended — in the Lowertown district of downtown St. Paul to make it easier for cars and bikes to navigate near the new Saints' ballpark, set to begin construction next spring.
Prince Street will be extended about one-quarter mile to the east side of the Lafayette Bridge, and Willius Street will be built by the Metropolitan Council to connect Prince with 4th Street, City Engineer John Maczko said.
The city also will connect Prince to Kellogg Boulevard via a new 300-foot stretch of Lafayette Road, running beneath the Lafayette Bridge. The $3.3 million project will begin this month and wrap up next year, Maczko said.
The new grid will restore the connection for motorists and cyclists between downtown and the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood that will be lost to the ballpark site.
Maczko said the project's second phase, planned for 2016, will connect Prince Street to the new E. 7th Street exit off northbound Hwy. 52 (Lafayette Freeway).
